1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dough-processing system and, in particular, to a dough-processing system having a rotary cutter for dividing a dough sheet into multiple separate portions and transporting each portion in a predetermined separate direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For some time now, dough-processing systems have been used for taking mixed dough ingredients and sheeting them to form a dough sheet which is then transported along a conveyor system for multiple processing steps, one of which is to utilize a rotary cutter to cut the dough sheet into predetermined shapes for cookies or snacks (See, for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,687 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention for a complete description of such a system). These systems normally cut the unitary dough sheet into a multiplicity of snack/cookie shapes and one or more web remnants, which then are separated for further processing of the snack-dough pieces. Heretofore it has been difficult to make the snack portions with an opening in the interior because of the difficulty of removing the hole dough from the interior and what to do with it when removed. For manual operation, of course, the operator can physically remove the hole-punching and scrap or recycle it. But for an automated operation with a rotary cutter, if the hole punching is picked up (a multiple pin arrangement has been tried), where can you place the hole punching by the time the rotary cutter completes a 360.degree. rotation and must cut a second snack shape with a second hole? Dough sheet processing systems of the prior art then have an inherent limitation in that the dough exits the cutter in the linear direction of the transport conveyor, it not being known how to separate the dough and transport a quantity of it in another predetermined direction, such as would be necessary if a hole punching or other dough portion were desired to be removed from the snack piece. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a dough-processing system for dividing a dough sheet into at least two separate quantities and removing and transporting one such quantity in a predetermined separate direction other than that of the main transport conveyor.
Another problem that must be overcome to produce a snack with an interior opening is a way to remove the snack piece dough from the cutter die. Cutting and removing the center hole at the same time as cutting the periphery of the snack produces a snack piece dough that is wedged or pinched between the inner and periphery cutting means. The more angles, points, and shape irregularities of the dough piece causes increased friction that prevents the release of the snack from the cutter die. For instance, the cutter die shown in FIG. 1, which is one of the shapes contemplated for production restricts release of the snack piece dough. To eject the snack-piece dough itself, a means must be found to remove the snack-piece dough from the cutter die without damaging it. Biasing means have been used in the prior art on dough sheet cutters (See, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,799,929 issued to Kurianski; 170,460 issued to Ashbourne; and 1,088,070 issued to Haines). Skruggs U.S. Pat. No. 1,457,555 teaches a dough sheet rotary cutter with an ejector means for ejecting the web scrap between the cutter dies. Damage is inconsequential when ejecting web scrap. A normal, straight-forward biasing means on a rotary cutter, upon rotation and contact with the dough sheet, would dig into the snack-piece dough and damage, or worse, hang-up the dough piece requiring shutdown and manual cleaning of the cutting die. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a programmable, flexible, biasing means for selectively biasing predetermined portions of snack-piece dough from a rotary cutter die at consecutive time frames in the cutting process so as not to interfere with cutting or deforming the snack-piece dough.